Tainted Soul
by Irritus185
Summary: Chapter 1 Up! Keitaro's well known for his immortality. But...what if the price for it was more than he, or even humanity itself, could handle? His soul...for theirs...His life...for theirs...Things are going to hell, and it's coming to life here and now.
1. His Greatest Sin

A/N: Hey people! Told ya I'd get this new fic up soon! I actually wrote it while I was waiting to update AMWAL. I was just being lazy then and didn't want to write the review responses and interview. Sowwy! _(laughs) _ Ahem! In any case, this fic is going to be much darker. The humor is still in there, but not for long. Expect blood, death, goody goreness, and almost the end of the world! Yay! Now, if you'll excuse me, the orderlies have to put me back in my nice, padded room. They're afraid I might try and use the computer to escape. Buh-bye! I'll see ya again at the end of the fic! 

Disclaimer: Mmph, we've gone through this multiple times before. I don't own Love Hina, and I probably never will. So stop badgering me over it! I'm sad enough already! _ (sniff) _ I want to own Love Hina! WAAAAAHHHHHH! _ (author is handed a rattle) _ Yay! Shaky! 

**Tainted Soul   
By Yamiga'sLight   
Prologue: His Greatest Sin**

Sorrow. 

Isolation. 

Suffering. 

I welcome these things and yet fear them at the same time. People call me strange, but I really can't help but feel this way. It is my penance for my crimes. Ironically enough, it was not my crime to begin with, but one that was forced upon me. Still, it is my crime because I have allowed it to go on without ever trying to stop it. 

It's stupid. This crime saved my life, bringing me back from the brink of death...But what is my life worth if I only lose my soul in the process? 

Nothing. Just a hunk of blood and flesh that doesn't live but simply exists, waiting for sweet oblivion to take it away and ease the world's pain, even if be only a tiny bit. 

This is my sin. 

My crime. 

My story. 

I find it funny. People have shunned me all my life. But did they know the reason, just _why_ I was meant to be avoided? Maybe it came from the deep part of their sub-conscious, a primal facet of their being that could sniff the danger that permeated throughout me and saturated the surrounding air. Who knows? I can't blame them. 

Could I? 

No, no I can't. I can't find them at fault for fearing an abomination like me. Who could? Not even myself. I am alone, fearing my own heart that is wrapped in a dark, heavy cloak. It is weighed down, breaking under the pressure. Soon I will crack and I will cease to even be me. 

But...what will I become? 

I...I can't describe the feeling that answer entails... 

Didn't they wonder how I survived? Didn't they wonder how I took attack after attack, beating after beating that would kill an ordinary human being? Didn't they wonder why I would take the pain, the humiliation, and come back with an apology and a smile on my face? Didn't they find it strange? Didn't they suspect something else was going on? 

Didn't they? 

...could they? 

Could they even begin to comprehend what lies beneath the surface? What might be lurking just around the corner? 

Death? 

Misery? 

I don't know...Sometimes I wish they did, sometimes I hope they don't ever do. I don't want to burden them with my problems...though it seems like it will eventually have to come to that. 

How pathetic... 

I'm surprised. Motoko should have been the first to notice. With all those evil-fighting techniques of her, I'd have thought she would have immediately sensed the dark aura that inhabited my own. But she didn't...and I continue to live a lie amongst these women, beautiful both inside and out. 

I know I love them. Not in the romantic sense...well, maybe some more than others (I am still just human and can fall in love just as easily)...but I do love them; they have become my new family. My old family is dead, repulsed by me and the very being that they had made a pact with to allow me to live. They said they did it for my sake? Ha! Hypocrites! Every single one of them... 

May they burn in hell for the atrocities they have committed. I know I will be joining them soon, though through my own means or this force that draws ever closer even I am not certain of. 

But these women...these women have accepted me. Not willingly of course. I can't help but laugh at how I first met all of them. If this was a normal type of reality, I would have been quite worried about being sent to jail. Not that it matters...My reality is no more normal than a person suddenly finding themselves able to turn lead into gold. But through thick and thin I have been beside them, and they beside me. I couldn't ask for more. The fact that someone stayed with me and...cared for me. And somehow I had managed to get six! Not just _one_ person but _six_ of them! 

I know they think I'm stupid. I'm not. I'm quite intelligent actually. But the idea of being with such a large group of people in a prestigious college like Tokyo University, to think of what danger and unknown horror I would inflict just by being near them... 

I shudder at the thought. 

That's why I've failed. Not because I'm dumb or don't know the answers. It's because the last human part of my soul holds me back, begging me not to ruin other peoples' lives by showing them my presence... 

I'm really beginning to hate that voice. 

In any case, I'm not that dense. I know Shinobu has a humongous crush on me. I'd have to be a fool not to notice. Her gestures, how she speaks, how she acts around me; it's all very clear. It's just...the age gap is far too big, and I don't want to think of what we happen if that bastard ever used me to get his depraved clutches on her. Heh, now I'm starting to sound like Motoko. 

But...I also don't want to run the chance of letting her down. She's such a sweet and pure girl – the calming light to my darkened existence. I don't...I don't want to hurt her...I don't want her to cry because of me... 

Naru likes me, too, but that damn wishy-washy personality prevents her from going any farther with me. It would be so nice if she could just be open for once and stop pushing me away. Unfortunately, it appears that day is but a long way off. Hmph, maybe I should just drop my childish crush on her and move on... 

No. 

I can't do that. I know that what I feel is much deeper than a childish crush. 

But why can't she just stop punching me every time she gets the opportunity to! 

Motoko...Honestly, I don't know what the hell Motoko's thinking half the time. I don't think I _want_ to know what she's thinking. Heh...She still calls me a "vile demon that tries to corrupt innocent maidens so as to achieve his perverted goals" every once in a while. These accusations amuse me so much. 

If only she knew how close to the truth she really was... 

But she can be sweet...when she wants to be. I know that if I just wasn't a guy we could have become friends...Maybe not; the others tell me that the way she is now is because I _am_ a guy. I can hardly believe _that _though. It sounds too farfetched. 

Kitsune...She's a good person. I know she is. She still uses me as an instant cash machine but I've gotten used to it after a while. It's kinda fun to guess how she'll try to extort and/or blackmail a couple thousand yen or some sake bottles from me next. I could have stopped her trickery a long time ago, but it's the only thing that still helps me feel like I'm living a normal life. 

A woman who keeps trying to steal my money. How's _that_ for a normal relationship? Not like ours is anything normal, that is. Oh, and I know that if I _ever_ said something like that out loud, the only prize that I'd earn would be a quick slap to the face. 

Su...makes me happy. Her erratic behavior is something I find oddly refreshing. I humor her when it comes to her testing her inventions on me. I don't think I could stop wanting to be her guinea pig if I tried. She's just too cute when she begs me to play with her. Like a little sister that was gone from my life. I enjoy my playtimes with her. It's one of the few times that I actually appreciate my immortality, my accursed side-effect. 

Hmm, I'll have to play with her a bit more now. I have to make sure she gets as much time as she can with me before it's too late. I want her to stay happy, to keep smiling, to never lose that cheerful attitude. I truly want that. 

And Sarah? Well, Sarah's a brat, no denying that. But I sort of understand what she's going through. Her papa left her here so that she'd be better off. My parents did the same. I just hope that Seta won't abandon Sarah like my parents did to me. _No one_ deserves that kind of torment...not even the girl who has named me dork. 

And yet, when she smiles...I can only see a nine-year-old girl that is trying to go through all of life's steps to the best of her abilities – traps, head-kicks, pottery bashings and all. 

And that is what makes me want to strangle myself at this very moment. I love them...and yet I've brought what could very well be the apocalypse upon them. 

I know he's coming. I can feel it. He used to be locked away, trapped in the farthest corners of my soul. At least my parents did one thing right in their fear of me. They made sure, or at least thought they made sure, that he could never run free again. However, things have changed, things that have given him the strength to rip the shackles that bind him to me. 

I know what they are, the things that empower him. But I can't stop producing them for him to take in. It's either give him what he wants, or allow him to escape and hurt my friends and family in ways I don't want to imagine. The latter definitely isn't an option. 

So I'll bleed...I'll bleed for them all...As long as it keeps him at bay and them safe, I'll bleed... 

He'll feed on me, sucking the very essence from my body. Ironic that he's the only reason I still have an essence to speak of. How's that for symbiosis? The parasite keeps me alive just so that it can live. I think I've been watching too many nature shows lately... 

But when the time comes _I_ will be the one to end it. I will stop the monstrosity born from my darkened heart with my own two hands. If I survive, then so be it. If I don't...actually, I don't want to know what'll happen if I don't. But still, I'll die for these women; I won't forsake them. It'll be my last chance at atonement, my last chance to pay them back for all the joy they heaped on worthless me. 

My life with them...is cherished. The happy times...and the sad times, I will savor every moment I spend. I can do nothing else until that appointed time when I will stand before him...and fight. 

And when that time comes and passes... 

May God have pity on this wretched soul. 

A/N: Ha! Looks like the beginning to a "killer" of a story, huh? _ (author is whacked in the back of the head) _ What! It wasn't _that_ bad of a pun, was it? _ (author is whacked again, lighter this time) _ Owww! Okay, okay! I get the point! Jeez, you use one bad bit of humor and they despise you for it...Anyway...This is the first LH story I've written directly onto the computer, so you might notice a change somewhere...Don't know exactly where but...Eh! It doesn't matter! Not sure when the next one will come up, may be soon, may be never. It all depends if you want me to continue this story or not. Who knows? Maybe I'm not meant for stories other than romance, eh? In any case, please review, and remember, no flames! 

_Preview! _

Next Chapter: Dark Awakening 

Keitaro lay in bed, rubbing at the bruise given to him by Naru. Another meal for him, another meal that kept him satisfied. How long could he continue to live like this? To just keep being hurt so that they wouldn't be put in danger? Maybe he should just leave. That way, they would be safe and he would no longer have to bare this burden – this terrible, awful burden. Everyone would be happy, wouldn't they? He did not know, and, hopefully, he would never have to find out... 


	2. Dark Awakening

A/N: K, on to the new chapter of my first serious fanfic: Tainted Soul! This is probably going to be one of my most soul-searching (pun not intended) and explicit stories that I'll ever write. There's going to be death, gore, sex, and all other types of severely twisted things that unfortunately many people will find morally unacceptable. But I decided to change my writing a little and veer from my usual path of pure, sappy romance stories. Hopefully I'll be good at it. Maybe I won't. I honestly think I did a good job on this one chapter. Eh, it's really all up to you readers. In any case, this story will have a quote most befitting to the chapter each time. I hope you like them as well. And now a thanks to my reviewers!

**Havenoname, darksoulessbody17, shadow-k9, BOB, mike, Innortal, Godsbane, askthedonkey, petran, Martrex, Zefrn, Wonderbee31**

Thank you to all my reviewers!

Disclaimer: Mmph, we've gone through this multiple times before. I don't own Love Hina, and I probably never will. So stop badgering me over it! I'm sad enough already! (sniff) I want to own Love Hina! WAAAAAHHHHHH! _(author is handed a rattle) _Yay! Shaky!

**Tainted Soul  
By Yamiga'sLight  
Chapter 1: Dark Awakening**

_It was a splendid morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.  
- John Cheever_

_Th-thump. _

It was dark. Dark and cold. Just like his soul, the empty bleakness just seemed to spread from miles around, holding nothing but the infinite pain and sorrow that had plagued him all his life. He found no respite, no break from the torture that played through his daily life in the one place that used to give him comfort – his dreams. No…even his fantasies had become as unforgiving as the harsh realities that surrounded him.

He knew this place, knew this place all too well. It beckoned to him, reaching out with intangible fingertips, promising both pleasure and pain. He had visited this place before, though it was certainly not of his own free will. Every so often, the blackness would slip through the cracks in the shield that had been constructed to protect him, dragging his thrashing body into its sinister embrace.

Why was it happening again? Why was the ache that threatened to engulf him and his cherished ones have to rise yet again? He knew that it was coming, that it had been coming for a long, long time. Even with the seal, it was only a matter of time before the monster inside of him would awaken. And when he awakened…what would he do?

_Th-thump_.

Two chocolate orbs blinked, taking in the environment. One could see the deep sadness that overwhelmed them, that kept them so dark and so sad. They had seen so much destruction, so much chaos, so much suffering…and at their owner's own two hands. They wanted nothing more than to erase the images from them. But no…those pictures had been burned onto their very retinas themselves, never allowing them to forget, never allowing them to heal.

This was happening much too quickly. He wasn't prepared, wasn't certain on what to do. Granted, he knew that no matter how much time would pass, he would never be prepared on what had yet to come. He could only hope for the best, and wish that no one would get caught in the crossfire. If one ever did, he would never be able to live with himself.

_Th-thump_.

Heh, but what did living matter? Not like he could ever die anyway. No…not with that bastard that dwelled within him. A blessing and a curse – never being able to die but having to pay for the sins of all in return. But he would pay, he would pay for them all. Because…it was the least he could do for what they had done for him in return.

The orbs blinked again. It was time…time to confront him. Time to speak with the monster that co-existed with him. All it would take was a little push and he would be there.

He walked forward, passing through the pitch black that spread out into eternity. He did not know how long he walked nor did it matter to him. All that did was that he found that door that led to the very pits of his soul, the holding cell for that monster.

_Th-thump_.

As if by magic, it appeared. A giant archway rose from the idea-of-a-ground. Black as ebony it was, laced with red – like flames licking wood from a fire. Intricate designs danced across the surface, depicting scenes of demons, angels, monsters, and other mystical deities waging a huge war. He could tell that this was much more than just a drawing, that it was truly a story, an epic that happened many eons ago. He did not know just what war took place in the past, but he could surmise that it was one that decided the very fabrics of the universe.

But now was not the time to contemplate on such things. What was important wasn't this door, but what lay beyond. He carefully placed his hands on the gateway, an insurmountable evil feeling crashing down upon him as he did. He shuddered, repulsed and reviled at the thoughts that streaked through his mind. If just touching his prison did this, what would happen when the two actually met?

He shook his head and clenched his jaw. No, he would go through with this. He had to. He had to meet him. Squaring his shoulders, he flung the twin doors open as though they weighed nothing but a feather. He stepped through the arch, finally reaching the room he sought. However, he couldn't help but shiver at the sight that awaited him.

_Th-thump_.

Chains dangled across the ceiling, hung from the walls, snaked around the floors. Candles perched on tall, looming poles comprised of the same materials that made up the door, images of screaming faces embedded in their trunks. The fires of the candles were blood red, although the occasional occurrence of a dark blue flame happened as well. Blood stains splashed all over the place, giving the sense that a grotesque massacre had taken place not so long ago.

He trembled at the thought that went through his mind. It was his fault that the room looked like this. After all, it was _him_ that had created it. The chains were the ones that bound him to his fate, to his duties, to his guilt. The candles were the unholy desires that passed through his body – the hate he felt for the happiness of others, the lust that he felt for those women around him, the rage at himself. And the blood…was his own. The blood was the creature's food, his nectar, his ambrosia.

How could he have done this? How could he have created such a horrible place?

The answer was clear…Because it's who he was…deep down inside.

No! No! He could not believe it! He would not believe it! Of course he had the occasional dark thought just like every other human being but nothing this terrible. It was him! _He_ was the one who transformed him into this horrible beast! It was all _his_ fault!

_Th-thump_.

His eyes locked onto the being that he sought. Suspended on a giant pillar located in the middle of the room, wrapped up in chains from chest down was a young man. Messy brown hair and a babyish face were the two easily distinguishable features other than the fact that he was wearing nothing but the chains that bound him. His eyes were closed, his head lolled off to the side as though he were sleeping, his mouth quirked up into the tiniest of smiles. A dark light bathed him, reflecting off the chains and onto the one that had come for him revealing…

The exact same man. Right down to the same hairstyle and facial looks. He walked forward and stopped right in front of the prisoner, sneering. He knew he was acting, that he wasn't really asleep. After all, if he was, he wouldn't be there now.

"Quit playing, you bastard," the man snarled. He wasn't in the mood for such things, especially when considering how high the stakes were.

The prisoner's lips spread, forming a deep, malicious smile. His head moved to face the young man, his eyes slowly opening. They showed nothing…only twin pools of darkness, as if there was nothing behind them but a deep void. Amusement and spite radiated from his eyes, focusing ever so slightly on the young man. "Good morning, Kei-kun," he crooned softly, his voice silky and smooth.

"Don't call me that!" the young man cried. "No one calls me that name, least of all you. My name is Keitaro, Serakusa."

His double laughed. "Forgive me, but you'll always be my little Kei-kun. You have since we met, you are now, and you always will be…" His eyes narrowed, hinting at the meaning behind his next words. "…Until the end of time…"

"Bastard…"

"Now, now…" Serakusa tutted. "That's no way to speak to a friend. And you are such a good friend of mine, aren't you, Kei-kun?"

"I'm no friend of yours…"

"Really? Pity."

"Shut up!" Keitaro shook with fury. This monster was playing with, like he was nothing more than a toy. Well, he was no toy! Serakusa had caused enough suffering in his life; he was not about to let it start all over again. "Just tell me what you're doing…"

"I thought that was obvious." He grinned, revealing two elongated eyeteeth. "I'm finally going to get back what was taken from me. You shut me up in here, Kei-kun…" His grin disappeared, replaced by a hateful snarl. "I do not forgive such transgressions so easily." His smiled reappeared, his head tilted to the side. "Oh, but I can tell that you don't forgive and forget so easily either. After all, you still hate me for what I did, don't you?"

_Th-thump_.

Keitaro twitched, taking a step back. He knew what Serakusa was alluding to, and it was something he certainly did not want to bring up again. It was so hard to get over it, so hard to forgive himself for a crime he did not commit. She had told him it wasn't his fault, that she never thought it was his fault, that it was entirely that monster's doing. But he couldn't forget, he couldn't forget the scar that she would never be able to be rid of…nor the one that belonged to him because of it.

His mind raced. It had all happened so suddenly, he could barely even remember what had happened. It was almost as if it were a dream, a horrible nightmare that taunted him at all times of the night when he couldn't find peace. And it was all his fault…both him and the monster inside of him.

"Her blood felt so good on my skin…and her flesh felt even better under my claws. The ripping, the shredding, but not one bit of screaming. She was like some doll. I wonder…was it because it was her dear brother that was doing it?"

_Th-thump_.

Keitaro twitched again. The images came flooding back like a deluge, pounding against the barrier of sanity that protected him. They threatened to swallow him up and drown him in a sea of madness.

K…Ka…

_A mass of blue-black hair spread around the floor, covering a small body. The blood flowed from, creating a pool. One side of it was shown, revealing a ripped-up mound of tissue, leaking the ever precious fluid in a steady flow. Drip…drip…drip…And the eye…the eye was vacant. It was dark, creeping so closely to the death that would welcome it with outspread arms. _

Kan…Kana…

"Tell me…" Serakusa leaned forward as much as the chains would allow him, a self-satisfied smirk plastered on his lips. "Did she ever die from her injuries?" His eyes widened, taking delight in the way Keitaro's body was shaking. "Because it would have been such a pity if she did. I wanted to have some more fun with h-"

His deranged statement was cut short when Keitaro leapt forward, striking him square across the jaw with his fist. Serakusa's head rocked from the impact, his jaw sore and trickling a bit of blood from where his lip had broke open.

Keitaro visibly trembled with pure, unadulterated fury, his eyes burning with an intense flame. His fist hurt a bit, unused to hitting something or someone on purpose. He shook it to relieve a bit of the pain. However, if it meant to just keep that bastard quiet, he would have even let it get broken in the process. "Just shut up…" he whispered softly. "Don't ever speak of her again. You do, and I promise I will kill you where you stand."

Serakusa looked at him from the corner of his eyes. The look swore that Keitaro would pay for the previous action. Maybe not now while he was still trapped…but soon. His tongue sneaked out, lapping at the blood that coated his chin. It had been a while since he had tasted blood, and while it was only his own, it was still all he had remembered – wonderful. He slowly turned his head back to face Keitaro. "Very well," he said. "I won't speak of it again. Besides, it's not like I have to ask you directly about it. I could always just go through your memories..."

Keitaro didn't have any time to react. All he felt was that like a shadow had passed through, reaching into the very corners of his mind, upturning every single thing he had ever known and remembered. The feeling passed in an instant. But it left him with a feeling of complete violation.

"Ah, so she _did_ survive…" His eyes widened in mock fear when Keitaro coked back his fist again. "Kidding! Just kidding!" Serakusa relaxed before his lips curled up. "Ohhh…now this _is_ interesting! You're head of an inn for women? And you even have feelings for one of them? And one of them has feelings for you!" He burst out into laughter. "Oh, now this is rich! My dear, little Kei-kun is growing up and falling in love! I feel so lost!"

Keitaro's breathing hitched. He knew what was going on. While to anyone else Serakusa's laughter might sound as though it were nothing but amusement, he could tell that Serakusa was plotting something for all of them – something that would endanger all of his girls. That was something he would not allow!

"Don't you even think about touching them, you bastard!"

His laughter stopped almost instantaneously. Something flashed through Serakusa's eyes before he looked back down at the young man. "What I do and what I don't do is none of your business. There are only two things you'll ever have to know. One, anything I ever do will be because of something you did…"

"Shut up!" Keitaro interrupted. He didn't want to think of the horrible actions that Serakusa could commit. Not to him, not to his girls, not to anyone. And there was also one other thing that bothered him. What Serakusa said rang true. Whatever he did was invariably because of something Keitaro did. Like strings in a web, he was forever caught in the actions spawned because of him.

Serakusa ignored his outburst. "…And two, it's not like you'll be able to stop me, Kei-kun. You weren't able to before so why do you think you have any chance now?"

Keitaro's head hung down, his bangs covering his eyes. "I don't know…" In all honesty he didn't. Serakusa's other words were true as well. But…this seal was a lot better compared to the first one. Maybe he did have some sort of chance. This tiny glimmer of hope gave him the courage to speak out. "But I will keep you in! I won't let you hurt them – _ever! _"

He frowned. "You're not thinking about her seal, are you?" Keitaro flinched at the malice lacing his ever word. It was obvious Serakusa did not adore the girl that had locked him back up again. "Granted, hers was better than the one your idiot parents first made but it won't help. Think of it this way…" He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth. "I might not be able to escape for long, and I might be destroyed by the amount of stress it'll take to break the seal, but I'll spend _every…possible…moment_ of my freedom to make those girls' lives a living nightmare." With each emphasized word, his smile grew more cruel and sinister.

Keitaro froze. He knew to what extents Serakusa would go to exact his revenge. The monster had no qualms, no morals, no mercy in any part of his body. He would torture them, make them wish that they were dead but never grant them that sweet release. He would hurt them in all ways imaginable. He would make them bleed, make them cry, make them hate him. He would do all of that…and more.

_Th-thump_.

Serakusa took no notice of his trembling. "I wonder what I'll do to them... I'll probably go after that kendo bitch first. She messed with my vessel one too many times. She says she hate men. I'll give her a _real_ reason to hate them." It had been a while since he had partaken in the pleasure of the flesh. That girl might be a holier-than-thou bitch but she was still fuckable. Besides, he liked it all the more when they resisted.

_Th-thump_.

"Then that fox woman is next. She might act like something else but I bet she's still a virgin. I'll show her what happens when you act like a slut…" Hmmm…he was definitely going to have some fun with her…With that kind of body…he was shivering in anticipation.

_Th-thump_.

"Then the brat and the foreigner. I'll show them what fun really is. I'll show them very…very well…First the skin, then their flesh, then their bones…I'll peel each one off one by one…" He smiled evilly at the thought. Oh yes, he would have his fun with them. They weren't desirable like the others but they still had their uses. His sadistic hobbies had been put off for a while. He needed to take them up again…and soon.

_Th-thump_.

"Next is that little cutie of yours. I'll take that innocent light and paint it with the darkness of despair. I'll show her all the pleasures of the flesh…and all of its pains as well. I'm sure she'll enjoy it. After all it's your body though it's me inside…" That little cutie had a crush on his vessel. He would have some good times with her…Such a naïve girl; he would open her eyes to the bright, horrific truth before closing them again in eternity.

_Th-thump_.

"And then finally…your darling redhead. I never really told anyone this but I like them feisty." His tongue flicked out to moisten his lips, making him resemble a snake. "She'll cry, she'll scream, she'll thrash around, it'll make no difference. I'll have my way and I'll enjoy every minute of it. And I know that deep down you'll enjoy it t-"

For the second time, Keitaro's fist impacted with his jaw. But he did not stop with only one punch. Over and over again he lashed out at Serakusa, pummeling the being as though he were in a trance. He didn't feel his knuckles bruise nor did he feel the skin rupture on Serakusa's face. He didn't feel the blood spill across his hands, staining them down to their very core. He didn't hear the grunts as Serakusa took his beating nor the pants and gasps he himself made. And he saw absolutely nothing. All he could feel, could hear, could see was an eternal darkness that clouded his mind and tore through his heart. Rage and fear ran asunder through his body, ripping to shreds his very being.

He threatened him. He threatened her. He threatened them. He would not allow it. He would not allow Serakusa to harm any of them. Even if it meant that his life would end there and then, he would bring to a halt the being that lived within him. So he raised a fist and brought it across Serakusa's face…and his chest…and his gut…his temple…his shoulder…everything. With each strike he muttered the same thing, over and over again.

"…alone…"

"…them alone..."

"…leave them alone…"

"Leave them alone, you _bastard! _"

One last punch was given before his arms fell limply to his side, devoid of all energy. He panted, staring at the bruised and bloody mess that was once his torturer. Serakusa's face was barely recognizable – a black eye, a split lip, a large gash on his right temple trickling blood down his face. Keitaro swore again before noticing something drip along his cheek. Had he harmed himself as well? He gently wiped off the liquid. It wasn't blood…it was…

Tears. He had been crying. His lip quivered before he finally broke down, the stress of it all finally catching up with him. He sank to his knees, clutching at his face and weeping uncontrollably. Why? Why did it have to come to this? Why!

"Have your fun?" Keitaro looked up to see Serakusa staring back down at him. He moved his head off to the side before spitting out a mess of blood and saliva. "You're such a pathetic being. You fall prey to those sickening emotions of yours and cry. You're so weak. I thought you might finally have the courage to do away with me and all you do instead is stop halfway through. I'm disappointed."

Keitaro sniffed, a sneer appearing on his face. "I don't want acceptance from you. You're nothing but a bastard who just wants everyone around you to suffer."

"True," Serakusa nodded. "But don't think I expect anything of you either. You're nothing but a pawn for me. A silly little pawn with silly little dreams that you will never reach because you're too damn afraid." He cricked his neck, annoyed at the soreness caused by both Keitaro's assault and the fact that he was dangling a few feet off the ground. "But it matters not. The time will come, Kei-kun, when I will escape you and fulfill what I have come to do. And when I do escape, the first thing I'll do is destroy all that you hold dear."

"You won't. Not while I'm here."

"Ahh…but that's the point!" He chuckled. "I want you to be there – to see just what sorts of delicious agonies I'll inflict upon those women. It'll make it all the more satisfying."

Keitaro stood up, his fist clenched once again. "I thought I told you to leave them alone! Don't you dare go near them!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Serakusa laughed maniacally, his mouth beginning to froth. "I'll go and you won't be able to stop me. Nobody will! And on that note…" He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. The pupils had overtaken his entire cornea, reversing the colors and making his white appear in the middle. "It's time to wake up, Kei-kun! It's time to GO AWAY!"

_Th-thump_.

Keitaro felt an immense force swat him off his feet, crashing him into the archway. He cried out in pain before gritting his teeth and trying to peel himself off the gate. But before he could do anything, the force battered him again, this time with enough power to bust him right through the doors and out of the room. "Serakusa!" he screamed in anger. "You won't hurt them, you hear me! Serakusa!"

Serakusa's laughter was the only thing to follow him as his surroundings slowly melted away. The blackness, the room, and Serakusa himself shifted until there was nothing left. Keitaro gasped as he fell when the ground suddenly gave way. He could feel himself returning to reality, back to the place where _they_ were. But no! He couldn't go back yet! He wasn't ready! Laughter echoed in his ears, bashed on his brain. It mocked him, telling him of things yet to come. He had to stay! He had to!

"Serakusa! Come back and fight me, you…"

_Th-thump_.

"_BASTARD! _"

Keitaro woke up with a jolt and screech, his hands grasping at the covers on his body. He blinked repeatedly, trying to take in his new surroundings. Things were blurry; all he could make out was his alarm clock next to him proclaiming that it was three in the morning. That meant that…he was back, back in his own bed in Hinata House. He sighed.

He was home. The dream had ended. His meeting with the monster inside of him was over. But something was just beginning, something horrible. The wheels of fate were turning and nothing would deter them from the path they had set. All he could do was go along for the ride. He might be able to delay things for a bit, but not for long. It would happen.

"Damnit," he muttered. He blearily rubbed at his eyes, trying to rid them of the sleep still clinging on. "Why here? Why now?" Of all the places and all the times it had to be this specific point in time and space. Why couldn't it have been before he met the girls, before he had something that he wasn't willing to lose or part with? Why couldn't it have been after he had already lost everything so he wouldn't have to worry about leaving anything behind? Why did it have to be at the exact moment when he was finally starting to enjoy life and all of its splendors? Why-

His thoughts were cut short when he heard a rustling from above him. His eyes shot up to the hole in his ceiling. The piece of wood covering it up moved to the side, being replaced by the head of an auburn-haired girl. An auburn-haired girl who seemed very pissed at the moment.

Naru Narusegawa growled in annoyance at the view below her. That idiot had woken her up from a very peaceful dream. It had been one of her on a picnic, feeding sandwiches to a very thankful Kei…She shook her head in embarrassment. What the heck was she thinking! She would _never_ have dreams about that idiot! Never! She would never daydream about him holding her hand, about her snuggling up to him, about her kissing…Oooooooh! That was it! She was going to make that pervert pay for making her think such thoughts about him!

"You moron!" she hissed. "What do you think you're doing calling out in the middle of the night? You were probably having some perverted dream about me, weren't you?" She knew for a fact that he wasn't. Unless that when he called out "bastard" he was referring to her. And if he was…the phrase "hell hath no fury" would be a literal understatement.

Keitaro shook his head adamantly. He didn't want to suffer the wrath of Naru. Though what Serakusa could do was probably the end of the world as he knew it, Naru could be a hundred times worse in certain contexts. God, how he admired yet feared that woman! "No, I wasn't thinking anything perverted, Naru. I was just having a bad dream." His head sunk. "A really, really bad dream…"

Naru's face softened at his pitiful stature. That dream must have really shook him up. Poor baby…But no, she could not allow her feelings to get in the way. It was the principle that took priority. And the principle was that if Keitaro was bad, he must be punished. Her hand groped around for something heavy, glad when its fingers came in contact with her calculus textbook. She leaned down before strongly flinging the book at him. A yelp of pain was her satisfied response when the book smacked Keitaro on the nose. She turned back on her side, throwing over her shoulder, "That's what you get for waking me. Be a good idiot and go back to sleep."

She would make it up to him in the morning…

Keitaro lay in bed, rubbing at the bruise given to him by Naru. Another meal for him, another meal that kept him satisfied. How long could he continue to live like this? To just keep being hurt so that they wouldn't be put in danger? Maybe he should just leave. That way, they would be safe and he would no longer have to bear this burden – this terrible, awful burden. Everyone would be happy, wouldn't they? He did not know, and, hopefully, he would never have to find out...

He flopped onto his back. Staring at the ceiling, he decided that he would make the last few days of his time with them as happy as he possibly could. It was the least he could do. And when the time came, he would leave and never look back. He wouldn't put them in danger, but he would make them happy with what he had. Keitaro closed his eyes, intent on going back to sleep.

However, it appeared that sleep was going to be a bitch about it and not visit him that night…or any night after that.

TSTSTSTSTS

Shinobu Maehara woke up peacefully, the sun's rays not yet ready to greet her when she did. She got out of bed with a smile on her face and a tune on her lips as she began to get dressed for the day.

She was in a very good mood at the moment. And why shouldn't she be? She had had the most wonderful dream. It was of a wonderful meadow all full of bunnies and ponies and cats and dogs. Oh, and senpai was simply smothering her with hugs and kisses. He was being very gentle about all of it, trailing his lips up and down her neck, his hands slowly moving across her body…

Shinobu's head shot up with a start, a crimson blush invading her cheeks. The dream had started out innocent enough but then it had eventually become more…risqué. She recalled the things Keitaro did to her once their clothing began to disappear. Oh dear, make that less risqué and more explicit. Especially the thing he did to her…

She batted at her head, trying to rid herself of such thoughts. That wasn't very nice to think of her senpai! He was too sweet and kind to think as such! And…and she was a proper, little lady! She shouldn't think of such things to begin with! Shinobu shyly put a finger to her mouth, nibbling on it oh-so-softly. But…she was growing up, she was allowed to think of something of the sort, wasn't she?

Trying to get off that train of thought, Shinobu decided on what she was going to wear today. Something modest but something that could attract Keitaro's eye. Maybe he would even compliment her on it! Oh she hoped he would! She raised her arms, allowing the light sundress to fall down her body. It came down to about her knees, with poofy sleeves that only moved to just off her shoulders. She didn't need a bra yet since she hadn't…blossomed enough to really wear one. Besides, the last wisps of summer still clung and it was much more comfortable to go without one.

She walked out of her room, ready to start the day by making a big breakfast for the entire inn. Oh, and of course senpai would get a _slightly_ bigger portion. But it wasn't because she had a crush on him; it was because he worked so hard so he needed the extra nourishment. Her pace unconsciously grew faster.

Shinobu's feet padded quietly through the silent inn, only halting when she noticed that someone had made it to the kitchen before her. She took a quick peek inside, surprised to see Keitaro already hard at work making breakfast on the stove. He wiped his brow and then realized he was being watched. He looked over and, upon seeing who it was, smiled.

"Oh, good morning, Shinobu."

Shinobu hopped when she found out she had been discovered. She slowly slipped into the kitchen, her gaze not quite meeting Keitaro's. She was still thinking about the dream, the blush lingering on her cheeks as evidence. It didn't help that he was wearing a very flattering pair of sweatpants and tanktop. While certainly not chiseled, the daily menial labor he went through did give him a nicely toned body. If he dressed accordingly, he might be able to turn a head or two. "G-good morning, s-senpai," she stuttered. "What are you doing up so early? It's not even light out yet."

He smiled again. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd give you a bit of a break and make breakfast for everyone. You really work hard, Shinobu, so I thought I'd do something to show my appreciation." He closed his eyes and laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I…hope that's all right with you."

A joyful smile appeared on Shinobu's face. "Yes! That's all right with me! Thank you so much. It's very kind of you do so." See? She knew that Keitaro was a wonderful person. All those things the other girls said was an exaggeration – he was such a sweet guy…

"Well, okay then! I'm glad you're letting me." Shinobu nodded happily and turned on her heels to leave the room. But before she could Keitaro added, "That's a pretty dress you have on, Shinobu. You look very…cute in it."

Shinobu turned back around, her eyes dazzling and her smile now explosive. In an amazing feat of physical aptitude, she leapt across the room and tackled Keitaro in a cuddle-hug with a squeal. The dream probably had some influence on her, as she was never usually this forward. "Thank you! You're so sweet!"

What was even stranger was what Keitaro did. In a very un-Keitaro-like manner, he hugged her in return, disregarding his normal reaction of blushing and freaking out. He decided when he woke up that he would drop the act, that he would be who he truly was. Not some foolhardy screw-up but the mature person he had become so long ago. He knew Shinobu had a crush on him but he regrettably couldn't return her feelings. She was a very cute girl, incredibly so, but she was just too young for him. Even so, the least he could do was be nice to her and show her a little affection. He gave her a quick squeeze and whispered in her ear, "You're very welcome. But you think you could let go? Unless you want me to do something I'll regret…"

Shinobu blushed and jumped away with an "eep!" How could he say such a thing! He never made such innuendos before; only Kitsune said things like that. "Senpai!"

"What?" he laughed. "I only meant you might burn yourself if you get too close to the stove while you're hugging me, that's all." He leaned over and grinned, his eyes full of merriment. "Why? Were you thinking something naughty?"

Her blush grew, her gaze switching to her feet. "No…I didn't… I didn't mean anything by it…"

"Heh…" He reached out and rested a hand on her head, playfully ruffling her hair. "I'm sorry, I was just joking. But you have to admit, it was funny. And you are very cute when you blush like that." He allowed his words to sink in before making a shooing motion. "Now go on. I have some food to make. Maybe take a bath or something. You really don't relax as much as you should." With that, he twisted back around to the stove.

Shinobu stood there for a little while, stunned at what had just occurred. It was like her senpai had become a completely different person. One who was much more comfortable talking and doing things that had to do with more…womanly aspects. Maybe…maybe he was a clone and the real Keitaro was kidnapped!

...Now she was beginning to think like Su and _that_ was much scarier.

What did it matter? Besides, she liked this Keitaro a lot more. He actually hugged her! Maybe he would do more next time! She rapped herself lightly. Bad Shinobu! She sighed before leaving the kitchen. Maybe she would take up that idea for a bath.

"Ouch! Damn stove!"

TSTSTSTSTS

Naru made her way down the steps, the smell of breakfast leading the way. It smelled pretty good this morning, not as good as it usually did but still pretty good. Maybe Shinobu was having an off day? Meh, even on an off day Shinobu still managed to make plain, ordinary food a culinary delight.

She absently wondered where Keitaro was. He wasn't in his room when she peeked after she woke up. She still had to make up for throwing that book at him. She would help him study up in her room. He would like that, wouldn't he? She wasn't really sure; he had been kind of moody lately. No one else might have noticed but she was close enough to him to know when something was amiss.

Ah, but that was something to worry about another time. Right now she was going to partake in the wonderful meal Shinobu had cooked. So imagine her surprise when she saw the mentioned girl already eating at the table. Normally Shinobu would be back in the kitchen, making sure everything was ready for the others and then eat with them. But here she was, already eating. And by the smell and looks of things…she had just come out of the hot springs.

Naru shrugged. It really didn't make much of a difference, she supposed. With that thought in mind, she walked over and greeted her young friend. "Good morning, Shinobu."

Shinobu waved and politely wiped her mouth with her napkin before responding. "Ah…good morning, Naru."

"You look like you just took a nice bath."

"Yes! Senpai was up early as well so he suggested I take one."

Naru froze on her way to sit in the chair. Her fingers tightly took hold of it when she realized the words "Shinobu," "senpai," and "bath" were being used in the same sentence. To anyone else this would have been an innocent statement, but to Naru, with her tendency to jump to all the wrong conclusions, it was the equivalency of a bomb. Her fingers began to leave imprints in the chair while she gritted out her reply. "Oh he _did_, did he?"

"Uh huh," Shinobu chirped. "He was very sweet. He said I needed to relax more and that it was the perfect thing to do."

The wood had begun to splinter under the terrible hold of Naru's fingers. She was not liking what she was hearing. Sweet? Relax! _Do! _That pervert had done something to Shinobu, hadn't he!

The blue-haired girl grew nervous when she noticed Naru's eye twitching slightly. Was she okay? All she had said was that Keitaro was sweet to her and gave her a break. Well, not exactly in that context but Naru couldn't have interrupted it that badly, could she? Then she remembered that it was Naru she was thinking about. Oh dear…

It was then that Keitaro took that perfect moment to step out right into the view of a fuming Naru. His face lit up and he shook the scoop he had been using to measure out rice portions. "Morning, Naru!" he called. "Do you want some breakfast, too?"

She took in the vision of Keitaro, absently noting that he looked pretty damn good in his choice of apparel, before going back to the task of finding out what he had done to Shinobu. Let's see…From what she could tell, Keitaro was in light clothing as was Shinobu, Shinobu was much happier than usual, and Keitaro had told Shinobu to take a bath. That could only mean one thing!

"You took advantage of her, didn't you!"

Keitaro's smile dropped. "Eh?"

"You forced Shinobu to do something against her will, didn't you, you pervert!"

Keitaro's lips curved into an annoyed scowl, his hands lowering to rest on his hips. "Naru, what the hell are you talking about? All I did was make breakfast."

Naru was taken aback when she realized Keitaro had not gone into his cut-and-dry act of begging for forgiveness. He instead retorted as though he had done nothing wrong. This definitely gave her some form of shock but it quickly faded when her anger came back to play. "You heard me! You did something to her!" she accused, flinging a finger at his face.

He sighed, raising a hand to half-cover his face, one that was filled to the brim with exasperation. Before he would have pretended to be scared to try and resolve the issue but not anymore. He decided to be who he was and stop playing. And who he was was someone who was getting rather tired of being pointed at all the time for perverted acts he knew he certainly didn't mean to commit. "Oi…Naru, I didn't do anything to Shinobu. I couldn't fall asleep after this morning and decided to come downstairs. Then I thought it would be nice to give her a break and make breakfast instead. She works the hardest out of all of us so she deserved one." Naru skeptical expression hinted that she did not believe him all the way. "You don't believe me? Look at me! I've got burns all over my hands and food all over my face. Do I look like I took a bath with her?"

He certainly didn't look like he had taken a bath recently. Minor burns from the stove covered his hands and lower arms, and rice was stuck on odd places on his face and clothes. He sighed internally. He might have his original personality back but unfortunately for him he was still a terrible klutz. He wondered how he managed to survived in the kitchen without maiming himself.

Naru's features showed that she was waging a war with herself. To beat or not to beat? That was the question. Luckily Naru decided to use her makeup with Keitaro on that one incident and gave him the benefit of the doubt. She sighed, relaxed the tension in her shoulders, and sat down in the chair. Moving the hair out of her eyes by tucking it behind her ear, she looked at him. He was still just standing there… "Well? Are you going to bring me breakfast or not?"

Both Shinobu and Keitaro secretly sighed in relief. One crisis had miraculously been averted. That was a first. Shinobu was in awe over the situation. Her senpai had never been like that – so confident and manly…He really had changed! Keitaro, on the other hand, was just glad he didn't have to go through the same shit over again so early in the morning.

He snapped the scoop to his temple, giving a sloppy salute. "Yes, ma'am!" With that he dashed back into the kitchen to prepare a portion for Naru, her voice chasing after him.

"And it better be damn good!"

TSTSTSTSTS

After getting plates ready for both Naru and himself, along with a little extra for Shinobu, Keitaro headed back out and gave out the plates. The three made amicable conversation, Keitaro mostly just listening while the others did the chatting. He found it comforting to know that there were days such as this one – peaceful with none of the hectic hullabaloo that often ran throughout the dorm. However, a tiny nagging feeling in the back of his mind reminded him that these days were not going to last long.

He quickly squashed this section of his brain with great brutality.

The other tenants eventually made their way down to the dining room, each surprised as well when they heard Keitaro made the meal instead of Shinobu. While not as good as the young iron chef, he still had his good points and made a very tasty miso soup. Kitsune tried to screw around with the bath comment again and Keitaro almost lost his head for it when Motoko instinctively lashed out at him with her katana. Luckily he managed to dodge but his chair took the full brunt of the attack and was unfortunately reduced to kindling. Other than that the morning went rather quietly and without random acts of insanity.

It was nice.

It was perfect.

It was _boring_.

Kitsune ambled down the hallway towards the manager's room, her goal to rile things up a bit. Things had been dull as of late as Keitaro wasn't getting into any of his daily shenanigans. Ordinarily he would get in trouble at least three times before noon came around, but all that had happened was the breakfast incident and even that had been resolved too easily. Keitaro hadn't even broken down into frantics during her jibing and Motoko's subsequent assault. He merely looked surprised before diving off to the side, exclaiming why they always thought the worse of him beforehand. He then apologized for speaking rudely and asked if anyone wanted any more breakfast. Naturally Su immediately answered in the affirmative.

He had handled that situation well…too well. Something was up and Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno was determined to find out what it was! But before she could confront the suspicious landlord, she had to make some…pre-arrangements. Looking at her blouse, she unbuttoned the top few buttons, allowing a generous amount of cleavage to spring forth. She then tousled her hair around, pulled down her skirt a bit, and took a quick swig from her little sake bottle to add some flush. There, now she was ready. Keitaro could never resist her when she made it appear that she was drunk. The boy was too darn naïve and gullible for his own good. She altered her pose to make it look like she was unsteady and flung Keitaro's door open, swaggering when she moved in.

Keitaro looked up from his finances when he saw Kitsune burst into his room. His cheeks turned red upon looking at her appearance. Even though he knew that she was just pretending to be drunk, he still couldn't help but feel embarrassed when she acted in such a manner. Kitsune was counting on this, of course. "Oh, hey, Kits. What can I do for you?"

She giggled, slurring her words when she responded. "Hey, manager. I wasch jush wondering if I could ask yoush for a little favorsh…"

Keitaro mentally sighed. Here we go again. Kitsune was going to try to swindle some money out of him. Too bad for her he wasn't going to fall for her wiles so easily this time, not to mentioned he was prepared for just such an occasion. He grinned lopsidedly. "Sure…What is it?"

She grinned back. Stumbling over to his side, she collapsed to the floor, holding onto his neck as though it were a life preserver. She hugged him tight, purposefully crushing her breasts against his arm and chest. It helped a lot as well considering she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Keitaro could feel her, erhem, feminine charms quite well. "Well…I was jusch wondering why yous became so sechy lately. You finally getsh some?"

Keitaro blanched at the bluntness in her question. "Kitsune!" He was expecting something along the lines of what she said but he still wasn't used to the fact that the fox-girl had absolutely no inhibitions talking about such things. "What the hell are you saying?"

"Aww…you're jusch tooooooo cute, Kei-Kei!" She teasingly pinched his cheek and hugged him more closely. Vaguely she thought about how nice this was just to hold someone like she was doing. Keitaro was a pretty nice thing to cuddle with. Eh, she'd do it another time to tease him. Right now she was on a mission. And this specific part of the mission was to get something out of Keitaro. Money was most preferable at the moment. "Should I tells everyone the good newsch?" Her breath floated to his nostrils with the scent of booze, reinforcing her drunken image.

He groaned. "You know what'll happen if you do. They'll call me a perv and belt me a good one."

"Well…" Kitsune tilted her head and tapped her chin in an exaggerated manner. Now came the fun part. She mildly suspected her original accusation was the truth but it was still too hard to believe. It mattered not. How Keitaro replied to her next would prove whether or not he was beginning to change. She somehow hoped he would. A punching dummy was nice but someone who could stand and fight was better. Well…not in the physical sense but she did hope that he could put up more of a challenge. "I _could_ keep it a schecret but it'll cost ya. Maybe free month'sch worth of rent?"

Her wish was about to come true.

A pensive expression flashed across his face. "Mmmm…nah." A slight smirk was all the warning she had before he pulled her onto the floor with him, his arms nestled around her petite form. "But I _will_ give you that rent if you keep hugging me like this." He laughed at the shocked look on her face. Oh this was too funny. He had wanted to do this since she had first tried to trick him. He never forgot how she made him fondle her. It was an amusing memory. Time to take it a bit farther.

"What? Not enough?" he continued when she didn't answer. "Okay, how 'bout two months? No, three! No! An entire year if you just keep hugging me all day long!" Kitsune's eyes were wide open and her face had already flashed through several lovely shades of red before settling on one that could only be matched by a tomato. Payback was a bitch indeed.

Before Kitsune could attempt to scramble out of Keitaro's embrace, he released her and sat back up, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. In most encounters like this it was Kitsune who was grinning, though she grinned like a fox who had just caught a bunny rabbit. He couldn't stifle himself for long before breaking out into peals of laughter. Kitsune simply watched him with a stunned expression as he quickly quieted down. "Ohhh…" He removed his glasses to wipe off the tears of mirth collected at the corners of his eyes. "Oh, that was just perfect! I've never seen you so startled! I knew I would get you back some day!"

Kitsune blinked. She slowly moved off the floor and sat across from Keitaro. "You mean…you were just kidding?"

"Uh-huh!" he chuckled. He looked like a little boy who was told he was going to get every toy he ever wanted in the world…and then given them not even a few seconds later. "That was just revenge for all the times you played on being wasted and screwed around with my head. But I got you good, didn't I!"

Kitsune remained motionless for a few moments before grinning in return. She hadn't expected such an outcome! Keitaro not only resisted her advances but turned them on her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so flustered like that. It was exhilarating, but very embarrassing as well. Now she knew how Keitaro felt whenever she did the things she did. Well, she said she wanted a rival, didn't she? And Keitaro was starting to fill that position. But…she still had to show him who the true mastermind of psychology was. Keitaro might have taken that battle with his sneak tactic, but she would win the war!

"Yeah, it _was_ good," she said, dropping the fake slur on her words. "Too bad you have to be punished for tricking me like that!" She grabbed his head and lodged it under her armpit in a fluid motion. She then proceeded to give him a noogie. An added bonus was the fact his face was smooshed up against her breast, scaring the bejeebus out of his poor innocent mind.

"Ahhh! Uncle! Uncle!"

"Not until I get something for incentive to stop!"

"I can't give you the rent but I still have a peace offering!" His arm flayed wildly and then pointed at his bookcase. Kitsune stopped so as to see what he was pointing to. "Look at the right side underneath my biology notes. There's a gift there I think you'll like." He _had_ been saving it for a special occasion but he guessed this was a good a time as any. Besides, he knew that Kitsune of all people would be the one to most appreciate it. And also, he promised he would do something nice for them all, right?

Kitsune contemplated on whether to go after the gift or not. For all she knew it was just a jip for Keitaro to get away from without harm. She quickly rid herself of that idea. Keitaro was a very nice guy who almost never lied to them. If he said there was a gift there, she would believe him. Letting go of him, she walked over to his bookcase, carefully moving aside his jumbled collection of notes. She found the gift in the back, a thin layer of dust covering it. She gave a small gasp.

He smiled. "You like it?"

Kitsune picked up the medium-sized bottle. She felt like she wanted to cry. In her hands was one of the most supreme sakes ever made. She had been searching for it for a long time. How did Keitaro get a hold of it? She had only mentioned it to him in passing, not really making a big deal of it. So how…how… "How did you…?"

"I found it when I was in Tokyo a while ago. There was some contest going on and I won it as a prize…" He neglected to mention the reason he won the contest was because to win he had to do something _verrrryyy_ stupid. He shivered when remembering the exact deed he had to commit. God, he never thought the filth would come off…Who the hell came up with ideas like that anyway! "Anyway, I hope you like it." He grew puzzled when she didn't answer. "Kitsune? Hey Kits, you okay?"

"Keitaro…" Her shoulders began to shake. "You are…" She took a few steps towards him. "…the biggest…" A few more and she was now standing above him. "…sweetie I know!" With that she engulfed him in a hug, his face shoved in between her bosom due to her open blouse. She didn't even notice or care that she was giving Keitaro some great fan service. All she wanted was to thank the big lunk! "Ohhhh….thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOU!"

"Mmmmrgphmth!" was all that Keitaro could say. He did not expect such a reaction from her. Nor did he like the reaction her reaction was eliciting from him. All he could think of wa-BOOBIES! Stop tha-Boobies! Jiggly, bouncing boo-ARRGHH! He quickly and forcefully detached himself from Kitsune, panting from both embarrassment and sheer desire. What Kitsune just did didn't exactly help deter that bastard's wants. If anything, he was probably double as determined to get what he wanted now! And speaking of which…

He coughed uncomfortably and pointedly looked in the opposite direction of her. Kitsune looked down to notice that her blouse had now managed to become all the way undone, her breasts hanging freely, the nipple of one shown off in clear view. She blushed furiously before turning away to briefly redo her apparel. Once she did, she still kept looking away from Keitaro. Silence reigned until he broke it.

"Sooo…I'm guessing you liked it then?"

Kitsune glanced at him. Liked it? Liked it was an understatement. Saying she liked it was like saying Su only tolerated bananas…Which of course is completely understated as Su would probably break through a 5-inch-thick steel wall with her bare hands to get to a bundle. She _loved_ it. It was probably one of the nicest things anyone had ever given to her. And she would show her appreciation. She crawled back over to him, draping her arms around his neck from behind, resting her chin on his head. "Yeah…I liked it a lot, Keitaro."

He could tell she meant it by the tone of her voice. "…I'm glad."

"…You've changed."

"I know."

"Why?"

He looked up at the sky through his window. "I guess…it's because I hated lying to myself. I was too afraid to do anything. Well…not anymore. I'll do what I want to do and I won't be afraid of what my actions might bring." He twisted his head around. "Is that…selfish of me?"

Kitsune frowned. "A little. But everyone's allowed to be selfish once in a while. Just make sure your actions don't hurt the people you care about."

"Does that mean I can't steal that sake from you? I heard it's really good."

She growled. Over her cold dead body. But she knew that he was only joking. She liked that about his new personality. He obviously felt comfortable enough around her to do so. "Don't even think about it." She playfully tapped her fingers on her chest. "But I wouldn't mind to having a drinking buddy."

"Sounds like fun."

"Oh, it will be. 'specially when I get you drunk enough to have my way with you."

"…you scare me sometimes, Kitsune."

"You know you love it, Keitaro."

"…yeah, I do."

The two stayed like that for a little while. The surroundings were peaceful and time passed through a blissful haze.

Or did until Naru decided to check in on Keitaro and found her best friend and love/hate interest in a rather intimate embrace with each other. She lifted her fist before pounding it into the doorframe. "Kei-ta-ro…" She uttered each syllable with disdain. "What do you think you're doing…?" First Shinobu and now this? Well, she had already used up her nice points. It was time to bust some heads. More specifically, one very dense and stupid ronin's head…

Keitaro broke out of his daze when he heard his name called out. Recognizing the voice, dread filled his stomach as both he and Kitsune looked over their shoulders to see an enraged Naru slowly advancing on them. Okay…so since he was the new (or old however you want to look at it) Keitaro, what was he supposed to do. Well, talking was out of the question since words seemed out of reach for Naru other than cries of pain. So there was only one viable option. He had to…

"_Run away! _"

"Come back here, you creep and take what's coming to you!"

"Nooooooo!"

Kitsune opened an eye and laughed. "Then again, some things never change."

TSTSTSTSTS

The birds chirped their chirpy song. The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees that overhung the stone staircase. Flowers opened up to one another to show off their beautiful colors and designs. And one scared-out-of-her-mind turtle was flying as fast as her stubby flippers could carry to avoid being the next meal of the ravenous foreigner known as Kaolla Su. One problem…it's kind of hard to avoid rockets four times your size that lock on to your heat signal.

_Boooom! _

Or you could always pull a reverse maneuver and sic the rockets back onto their controller. Yeah, that was a much more satisfying end.

Su coughed violently, her clothes burnt to a crisp but still wearable. She was glad that she had gotten that illegal cloth off the black market to use for clothing in her experiments and pursuits of Tama. She would run out of outfits very quickly otherwise. Well, there was also her ability to project a personal force field. That always helped as well. Too bad it couldn't survive a 15 megaton blast. Her weapons were always a weee bit on the destructive side. But what fun would it be if they weren't?

She whipped her soot-covered goggles off her face, shaking a fist at the hot-springs turtle floating a few feet above her. "Darn you, Tama-chan!" she cried. "I'll have your hide someday. And a tasty hide it will be!"

"Myuh!"

"Wha? Don't you say that about my mother!"

"Myu myu!"

"My dad smelt of _what! _" She growled before pulling the laser gun out of her pocket. She had learned a while ago how to fit large objects into small spaces. Something about bending the space-time continuum…It also had inverse effects on the universe, possibly ripping it to pieces but she didn't really bother with such things. After all, it was so handy to have around! "Take that, you naughty reptile!"

Tama let out a turtly cry and dodged the blast. The arc of energy kept going and set the trees behind her ablaze. The two blanched at the sudden threat of a forest fire. That wasn't good. They had to do the unspeakable now. They must bind forces and do the only thing possible to stop this fiery danger!

"Myuh/Run away!"

Notice a pattern here?

The two sprinted/flew down the stairs from Hinata House, hoping to put a good distance between them and the catastrophe they had created. Maybe someone else would come upon and get blamed for it before they could. One could dream!

They slowed down once they reached the Café Hinata run by Keitaro's aunt, Haruka Urashima. Just never call her "aunt" or you'll get a good thwack on the head. They could probably find safety in there until everything calmed down. But just as the two were about to enter a voice floated through the café's entrance, catching their attention.

"What am I supposed to do, Haruka?"

They peeked in the doorway, finding the café to be devoid of customers with only Keitaro and Haruka talking at one of the tables. Su was going to call out a greeting to them but his next words made her stop and wonder what was going on.

"They're going to hate me when they find out."

"Hate's too much of a strong word there, nephew. They'll be shocked, that's for granted."

"Haruka…" His words were laden with a horrible heaviness. "They're going to be terrified of me. Odds are they'll probably try to sacrifice me to stop what will happen."

"You know that's not true. In any case, even if they did it's not like they could really go through with it. Not without your consent, that is."

"I'd give it to them, as long as it meant they would be safe." He didn't speak for a little while. "But I guess that just makes me an idiot, huh?"

"Keitaro…"

Su leaned forward, trying to catch more of the conversation, Tama perched on top of her head. She couldn't really tell what was going on. Sacrifice? Hate? Terrified? Why would that silly ronin be using those sorts of words? Then again, Keitaro had been acting really strangely the last few days. He was still waking up early and making breakfast for all of them. He was hanging out with Kitsune a lot more and drinking with her. He was even being more friendly with Shinobu, like he actually knew about her crush on him. Yeah, right! Like that idiot could really notice such things!

Even so, the owner of Hinata House had changed drastically lately. He had been a lot more quiet, not really talking much about anything. He was much more calm and composed and didn't have those daily anxiety attacks anymore. Heck, he hadn't been in any compromising situations for the past three days! Not to mention he had been playing with Su a lot more often. He always managed to find the time in the day to play video games with her or just fool around. That was part of the new Keitaro that she _really_ liked!

But by the sound of things, he seemed to be really bothered over something. But what…? Su didn't like it when her friends were sad, especially when the one sad was someone like Keitaro. He was usually so happy permitting those times he went into deep depression over something stupid. But now…now he sound so melancholy…so sad…What could they possibly be talking about?

"One thing I don't understand is why you're still around me. You know the truth, Haruka, so how can you stand being near me, knowing what he…what I did?"

Haruka took a drag of her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray in the middle of the table. "You really expect me to think it's your fault?"

"My parents did…"

"Your parents are idiots. They put that thing in your body then expect everything to come out smelling of roses? Frankly I don't know what the hell bro and sis were thinking. They're fools to think any of it was your doing. I certainly don't think so."

"Yeah…" He sighed and folded his hands on the table. "You, grandma, and Kanako are the only ones who still accept me. But I don't know how Kanako can considering what I almost did to her…"

"Damnit, Keitaro. If you start that weepy 'I did it something horrible' shit again I swear I'll shove this shoe right up your ass."

He quickly fell silent, "All right, Haruka, I won't speak of it any more. But…I still can't help worry. He's inside of me, and he's going to come out. And there's nothing I can do to stop him. It's started, and there's nothing I can do about it…" He buried his face in his hands, shaking slightly. "He's coming, Haruka, and I'm scared to death of what he'll bring."

Haruka reached her hand across the table, taking a hold of one of his, deftly intertwining her fingers with his. "I'm scared, too, Kei. But I'm sure we'll all get through this." Her stoic face flashed a wry smile. "Preferably alive. I don't feel like dying any time soon."

"Neither do I…" He looked up at the ceiling. "But you know I am willing to die if I have to. As long as that bastard stays under wraps and doesn't hurt my girls, I'll be satisfied."

As soon as he said that, Su went into shock. Keitaro? Die? Her dumb, cutie ronin was going to kill himself to keep them safe? What was he talking about? How could he say such a thing! If he died for their sake, they would never be able to live with themselves! They all loved Keitaro in their own special ways and would be devastated if his life came to a premature end. So how could he consider such a course of action?

And who was this guy Keitaro kept talking about? By the way Keitaro was talking about him he was obviously a bad man. Well, Su knew how to deal with bad men. A good cannon-blast to the face would make him regret his evil ways! And then Keitaro would be all happy again! And he would be happy forevers and evers and evers and evers and eve-

"I'm going to leave…once this is all over."

Su's blood ran cold. Her ears didn't want to believe what they had just heard. Keitaro often left in times of stress but he always came back in the end. But the way he was talking, the way that he sounded…it was completely different than from those other times. It was like he was really going to leave…and never come back. That was almost as bad as him saying he was going to die!

Haruka looked like she felt the same way. Her normally apathetic face had deteriorated into a melancholy frown. She sighed. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

He nodded. "Of course I do."

"But you can't just leave…What'll the girl-"

"They'll be just fine. As long as I know that they're safe and sound after all's said and done, I'll be fine with how it turns out. You heard what I said before. I would die for them. So wouldn't that mean I'd also leave if meant they'd have a better life?"

"Now you're just getting melodramatic. Keitaro, you just can-"

"Haruka…" He smiled ruefully after interrupting her for the second time. "I've decided. I'm going to go far, far away before he arrives. If I can't do it before then, I'll get rid of him and leave. These girls have had enough trouble in their lives before I came and made it worse. Do you really think they deserve what's going to happen?"

She remained silent, unable to formulate a response. After a bit of time passed, Keitaro continued. "See? They don't. No one does. No one deserves to go through the torture and suffering that I will eventually bring. I bear this burden alone…and no one else ever will."

"…you really are nothing but a fool…" Haruka stood up, her bangs covering her eyes from view.

He gazed at her. "Haruka…?" Confusion was evident in his tone.

All the while, Su was in turmoil. What had she just bore witness to? What did she just eavesdrop on? What was happening! Keitaro was going to die! Keitaro was going to leave Hinata House forever! What was she going to do? How could she sop him from doing so? Some man was coming, some person who was going to hurt Keitaro! How could she stop him? How could she halt this impending feeling of doom? How?

How!

_How! _

Her legs gave way underneath her, too weak from her thinking and what she had just heard to support her weight any longer. Su fell forward, grasping at anything she could to halt her fall. Her fingers grasped at the overhanging banner to the café, pulling herself up when she got a good enough grip. It did not stay up long however, Su's weight too much for the banner's fasteners to bear. She crashed onto the floor, knocking over one of the chairs and landing in a very uncomfortable position tangled all in the banner.

She whimpered in pain, both from her scraped knees and the legs of the chair that was prodding her in the backside. Looking up, she wondered just how much trouble she was going to get in. When her gaze landed on Keitaro's face, her heart stopped.

He was staring at her with such intensity, she felt as though he was trying to reach into her and pull out her writhing soul before crushing it into dust. His eyes were bright and fierce, filled with such a loathing that she wanted to do nothing more than to wither away and hide. His entire face was so overrun with hate and betrayal that all she could feel was a horrible terror. Who was this person? What had he done with her Keitaro? Where was her sweetie landlord?

And then it was gone in an instant. Like it had never been there in the first place, Keitaro's face reverted back to his normal one. A surprised expression filled it up, like he had just been caught doing something naughty. Then it changed to that of great worry. Jumping up from his seat, he was over Su's side in a flash. He helped her get untangled from the mess of furniture and cloth before gently picking her up and setting her back on her feet. He kneeled so that his face was at the same level as hers.

"Are you okay, Su?" he murmured softly. She couldn't help but feel warm at the tenderness in his voice. Keitaro was truly a kind and loving person. Even though he might not love them all in the romantic sense, he still "loved" them as much as he could. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

She shook her head, not wanting to break the moment with her words. He smiled. "That's good. But…" He planted a hand on her head, ruffling her hair like he did all the times they played together. He also always did that whenever she was feeling down, like he knew when something was bothering even when she didn't show it. Even now, he knew something was up. "…were you spying on us? You know it's not polite to listen on other people's conversations."

She shook her head again. "No! I wasn't peeping!" She instantly felt bad for her lie, but if Keitaro knew that she had listened to what appeared to be a very private and important conversation he might hate her for it. And that was exactly what Su _didn't_ want to happen. "I was just trying to catch Tama-chan and fell into here!"

"Really now…?" He glanced her over, his eyes doubtful. Su hoped with all her being he didn't figure out she was fibbing. He sighed. "All right, if you say you didn't." He stood back up again and turned to his aunt. "Haruka, I'm heading back to the inn. I'll talk to you again soon, okay?"

She blinked. She then closed her eyes, raised her hands, and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, Keitaro," she sighed. "We'll talk again soon."

He nodded. He then turned back to Su and smiled. "Well, c'mon, Su, let's go back to Hinata House. I'm sure we can ask Shinobu to whip something up for you, okay?" Su didn't give any response. "Maybe something with bananas…" he prodded.

She looked up at him. Normally, at the simplest mention of bananas, Su would go ballistic. But now…after what she had heard…after what Keitaro had threatened to do…they just didn't seem…all that important anymore. Sure they were the yummiest thing in existence but… "Okay, Keitaro…" Her voice was quiet and subdued, the complete opposite of her normal voice. "Let's go back…" She winced when she tried to move, her skinned knees giving out twinges of pain.

"You okay? You want me to carry you?" Right when she winced, Keitaro was at her side, already picking her up. She gave a small gasp. He frowned at her injury. "Ouch, that looks nasty…Maybe I _should_ carry you back."

Su blushed. This by itself was quite abnormal. Su never blushed, at least not in the sense of being embarrassed. But when Keitaro offered to carry her, something that he did quite often, both voluntarily and involuntarily, she felt a twinge that originated somewhere near her heart and ended up on her face in the form of a rosy tint. She did not know why she had such a reaction but she suspected it had something to do with the way Keitaro had been acting lately. He just seemed more…desirable. No…that wasn't what she meant. He was…Ooohhhh, she just didn't know anymore. It was all so confusing!

"No, that's alright! I can walk fine!"

"Su…" He lightly tapped her on the nose. "Be a good girl and let me carry you back. Motoko would kill me if I let anything happen to you." She would also probably kill him if she saw how he was acting around Su now but that didn't really matter at the moment. Right now he needed to get Su back to the dorm. "So would you? Please?"

Su blushed again and tried to open her mouth. Not a word passed through before she closed it again and nodded her consent.

Haruka watched the scene in amusement. Her nephew had always had this kind of charm around him. Before the incident he had been rather good around girls. After it, though, was a completely different story. He had completely revamped his personality, trying to find the best way not to be around people. And what else would be perfect than a slow, stupid, and otherwise worthless boy with hopeless dreams. When he had first arrived at her mother's dorm, he had tried the fake personality again. Too bad the whole thing backfired when the girls there actually found it cute (not like they'd ever admit it though.) But now his original one was shining through. Thank heavens it still had all of his good points to it. But now…well, if he had actually had his old personality without the whole incident, she was quite sure he'd be the little lady-killer.

Too bad the only reason he had it now was because he was certain he would never see any of the girls again after all was said and done. In any case, back to the two that she found so amusing.

Keitaro had lifted Su onto his back, her tiny arms dangling over his shoulders. He supported her with his hands beneath her bottom, something they both felt embarrassed by. When certain she was secure, he decided it was time to leave. They both waved goodbye to Haruka and then headed out. Outside they came upon Tama who had managed to sneak away unnoticed. Su glared daggers at her, angry that Tama had left her to hang high and dry. Tama merely shrugged, signaling that it was every female for herself.

As they went up the stone staircase nothing was said between any of them, an awkward silence permeating the air. Su wondered if Keitaro knew that she had eavesdropped on him. He must have. There was no way that he couldn't know. But if that was the case then why wasn't he yelling at her, telling her what she did was wrong. She would have preferred that to the subtle cold shoulder he was giving her, pretending that nothing was wrong, that he hadn't said the things he had said.

She would give _anything_ to break this horrible silence!

It was then that she decided. She had to ask Keitaro if he meant what he said. If he was going to die, if he was going to leave, if someone was coming to try and hurt him. Su had to know!

"Keitaro?"

"Mhhhmmm…?" he hummed back.

"You wouldn't…" She shifted up, moving closer so as to whisper in his ear. "You wouldn't leave us, would you?"

Keitaro stumbled. There were no cracks or rocks on the pavement.

"Why would you ask that, Su?" he laughed carelessly. "Of course I wouldn't! You girls are the best thing that happened to me. Why would I want to leave that behind?"

Su didn't know whether to be happy at the compliment or sad that he was lying to her. But she wanted to give him the chance of coming out and telling the truth again. "Are you sure…?"

"Su! How many times are you going to ask me? I'm not going to leave you guys. End of story." Su fell silent. Keitaro took her lack of talking as a signal to the end of the questions. He sighed internally. He knew that Su had eavesdropped on him and Haruka. He knew what she had heard. But he also knew that she didn't know just what he was talking about. That was his only gift of peace – that she didn't know the truth of his past. He didn't want to hurt her with his troubles. He never wanted to…

Su did not talk the entire way. She just rode on his back, thinking on what was going to happen. Keitaro lied to her, he lied about not leaving. That had wounded her, wounded her deeply. She wanted Keitaro to be open with her, to tell her about his feelings and problems. She was his friend after all…wasn't she…? Maybe…she wasn't as much as she thought…

Su nuzzled the back of the neck, taking in his comforting warmth and scent. For all she knew, it might be the last time she ever could.

TSTSTSTSTS

Motoko made her way through the empty halls of Hinata House. As she glided (she never walked; she always glided with the grace befitting a samurai) down them, her thoughts turned to the strange happenings that had been going on throughout the inn.

The first, and most obvious of them all, was the drastic metamorphosis of that vile male, Urashima. Drastic since he was now anything _but_ vile. Loath as she was to admit it, Motoko did indeed notice the positive changes their previously hapless, luckless landlord had gone through. For one, he no longer committed any of the lecherous acts that he did on a daily basis. She no longer found any happenings of skirt-pullings, peepings, or breast-burrowing that she would gladly punish him for. It left her…antsy. After all, the day Urashima became a non-pervert was the day she would give up her life as a swordsman and live as a woman. Too bad for her that day seemed to be coming up hard and fast.

She shivered slightly. That was another problem. Lately the male she had been so reviled by before was slowing becoming more and more…alluring to her. But of course that was impossible! She was Motoko Aoyama, heir to the Shinmei-ryu school of swordsmanship. Why would a lady of her class want anything to do with a low class, scum-sucking, perverted example of a male? Then again, all males fit that description to her so it really made no difference if it was Keitaro alone or not.

But then again, the way he had been acting around them. So different than before – suave, silent, pensive. All the things that a male should hope to achieve to Urashima had become simply overnight only a week ago. But how could it be? How could a man who was so far down the evolutionary ladder that mitochondria had more redeemable qualities than him become that much better in such a short period of time? It was simply impossible!

That or the work of a demon.

Motoko squashed the idea. Though she often accused Keitaro of being so, she knew deep down that even he was not on the same level of such a vile incarnation of evil. Still…it did give her a reason to punish him other than the fact that she enjoyed doing it. "Guilty pleasures be the end of us all" would be the best phrase to apply to her way of thinking.

However, Urashima was not the only one who had changed. Everyone else in Hinata House had changed as well. Though not all of them had done so in a better direction. Su was the one who had worried her the most. A few days ago after returning with Urashima she had become downcast and dreary. Motoko had instantly blamed Keitaro for this but Su had defended him saying that she was just feeling a bit under the weather. Keitaro had not given any signs of guilt or worry so that too worked in his favor. He did not receive retribution for the transgressions.

What had her worried, however, was the fact that Su had not brightened back to her usual self since then. Like something had sucked the energy and life right out of her, she had dissolved to moping around the inn. No one could cheer her up. Not Shinobu with her cooking, not Sarah with her pranks, not even when Motoko degraded herself to wearing a rather girly outfit and Kitsune made an off-color comment. She was ready to misplace her aggression on Keitaro but luckily for him he stepped out of the room before Kitsune could speak. It saved him the use of a very special body part.

But what bothered her the most was that Su was no longer sleeping with her. Normally, Su would sleep with Motoko every day with the occasional slumber party in Keitaro's room (Motoko had finally given up on the notion that he was trying to seduce Su when he stumbled into her room asking to remove a very strong and very sleepy Su from his backside; he then asked if she would mind guarding her door to make sure Su wouldn't sneak out again.) But now she spent every night alone in her room. And though she couldn't be sure, she thought she heard quiet sobbings on the other side of the door whenever she went to check on her. Su always managed to hide any evidence of crying when Motoko came in, though.

And now whenever she tried to talk to Keitaro about what had happened, Su always managed to get in on it and swerve the conversation away. It was really beginning to get annoying. But what could she do? Kidnap Urashima, take him to some remote place, and then interrogate him until he broke down and squealed?

Actually, that didn't sound half bad…

Her thought were cut short when a hand latched onto her shoulder. Her natural reaction was to grab the offending appendage and flip it and its owner over her shoulder. Imagine her surprise to see the man she had just been thinking about slam into the wall next to her.

Keitaro laughed nervously. He was propped upside-down on his head, his legs bent over his front just skimming the floor. It didn't look like a very nice position to be in. "Guess I should have expected that, huh?" he asked dryly.

Motoko had the decency to blush. Giving a quick apology, she helped him back on his feet. He brushed himself off before staring at her. She frowned at his unwanted gaze. "I already apologized, Urashima, so do not expect anything else. Besides, it's only what you deserve for grabbing me so suddenly. I would hope that you know about the personal space of others." She sighed. "Though I suppose that would be too much to ask for from you."

He ignored the insult. He had much more important things to do than bicker with her. He finally had the chance to ease her worry over Su and he was going to take a hold of the opportunity. "Nah, that's not it. I just wanted to tell you about Su."

She raised an eyebrow. "But does she not usually attempt to prevent us from doing so?"

"Not now at least. She's asleep right now, I made sure of it." Keitaro quickly noticed Motoko's hand twitch towards her katana. He definitely did not need any of that right now… He raised his hand in front of him and made a placating motion. "Whoa there, I didn't do anything to her if that's what you're thinking. She just wanted to be held by someone and I was the closest one to her. She fell asleep a little while ago. You can ask her yourself when she wakes up." He rubbed the back of his head, his eyes troubled and concerned. "She's been really down lately, hasn't she?"

Motoko inched away from her katana. She could tell by his tone and the look in his eyes that nothing else, other than what he had told her, had occurred between the two. She had to keep reminding herself that not everything Urashima did was worthy of a sex offender. Wait…of course it was! Never mind, she had more important things to worry about. Like the source of Su's problems…

"Agreed," she nodded, her face not betraying any emotions. "If you would be so kind as to tell me what happened, perhaps I would be persuaded not to castrate you and hang your parts on the drying line." What was scary was the fact that she was probably really considering such a threat.

Keitaro gulped. Well, looked like things weren't really turning out that well, did they? Ah well, might as well reveal a little bit of what was happening. But not too much, of course. "To put it simply," he began. "Su listened in on a conversation between me and someone and heard some things that she shouldn't have. That's what's probably bothering her so much."

"And did this conversation have to do with anything that is not fit for any type of moral mind?" Her question was accompanied by her carefully fingering her katana's hilt, her pose signaling that she was ready to lash at Keitaro at a moment's notice.

"No!" he exclaimed. "It's just…" He said nothing for a few seconds, pondering on what to do. He couldn't very well blurt everything out to Motoko then and there. It would defeat the whole purpose of him making sure the girls knew nothing of his predicament. But then again, it never hurt to subtly warn them…Keitaro sighed. "Motoko, could you strike me down?"

She blinked at his abstract question. "What do you mean?"

"If I did something to hurt any of you, could you end my existence then and there?"

"Without a doubt! Honestly, Urashima, what kind of rhetorical question is that? I would surely…"

"Could you _really_, Motoko?" She blinked again at his interruption. He stepped forward, shoving his face into hers. She didn't have time to react or step away before he spoke. "Could you really kill me? Could you slit my throat, pierce my heart, disembowel my entrails on the ground?" He voice shrunk to a murmur. "Could you really deal with having my blood on your hands, my death on your conscious? Could you…Motoko?"

She took a step back, unused to the morbid fashion in which Keitaro was speaking. What could he mean by all of that? Did he seriously expect her to kill him? Sure, she always proclaimed to do just such but when all the chips were down, did she really have the sheer guts to go through with such an act? Could she really do what he asked of her? She…she did not…

"I…I don't know, Urashima. But…why would you ask me of such a thing?"

"Because I want you to be prepared, Motoko. I want you to know if you can do what you say you'll do and not back out at the last moment because you have doubts. I want to know if you're _ready_." His cryptic response did nothing to help her resolve.

Unsatisfied by Motoko's lack of a reply, Keitaro turned around and walked in the opposite direction of which he had arrived. He waved a hand over his back, bidding her good-bye. Motoko did not a thing as she watched him turn the corner. When he was positive he was out of earshot, he whispered softly to himself.

"Honestly I hope you can make your decision if that time ever comes…for everyone's sake."

TSTSTSTSTS

The sound of graphite scritch-scratching on paper was the only one heard in the room. No words were passed between the two individuals as they studied the subject for the day. Time had no place there, as they both worked in complete silence, barely even recognizing the other. Or at least…_one_ of them was not recognizing the other. One was trying her best not to just flip the table over and smack some sense into the other so that he would start acting normally again.

Naru's grip on her pencil tightened slightly, stopping her hand's movement for a second to glance over at the young man at the opposite end of the table. He had not spoken a word to her besides a greeting before immediately getting to his studies. She found it a bit unnerving. Keitaro would always ask for a little help here or there – _always_. The idiot didn't have enough brains to get through one session without coming upon a problem he would undoubtedly need her help with. So why didn't he say anything?

This wasn't the first time this had happened either. For the past week, ever since she woken up to his scream-causing nightmare, Keitaro had not once asked for her help during any of their studies together. He would simply come in, smile politely, do his work without any questions, smile politely again at the end, and then leave. It had become a habit. And not once, during the entire week, did he screw their sessions up by doing something klutzy or perverted.

Naru didn't like it _one_ bit.

It was bad enough the jerk was acting like a completely different person around everyone else, but he also had the gall to project this persona about him when he was just in her privacy? She had never been so insulted! Keitaro might be able to fool the others but not her. She knew that he was up to something, pretending he was such a bigshot…It never really occurred to her that perhaps he was _not_ acting and was just trying to be himself. Of course, regarding Naru's personality, seeing anything out of the ordinary while thinking about Keitaro could make her accusations seem sensible.

But that was neither the here nor there. Right now she had to do something to break the silence that permeated the room during every single one of their sessions. "Hey, Keitaro." He looked up with a quizzical expression on his face. "Do you need any help?"

He shook his head. "No, that's all right. I'm doing just fine. But thank you for the offer."

"You sure?" she prodded. "You haven't asked me to help you with anything for a while now. You're probably getting all of the answers wrong and not even realizing it."

He winced internally. Did she really think so low of his intelligence? Keitaro then recalled all of the tests he had miserably failed. Oh yeah, he didn't exactly exude the confidence and intellect of a college scholar, did he? But it wasn't like he was stupid, merely…careful with his work. He had purposefully failed all of those tests, fearing what might happen had he actually made it into Tokyo University. All those people around, so much suffering that could happen on a basic college campus…It was a veritable smorgasbord for Serakusa. Here at Hinata House he was at least confined to only a small amount of people of whom he could relieve their sadness, even if it meant at the cost of his own.

But he could see from where Naru was coming from. He had been so wrapped up with worrying about Serakusa and how he could make the girls as happy as possible with his last few days he completely forgot to have "trouble" with his school work. Without consciously making an effort to mess up his problems without making it seem he was doing it on purpose, a feat that needed a lot more intellect than just answering the questions, he had simply gone on autopilot, letting his mind wander while his fingers did the calculations and such for him. It concluded in him getting every single problem right. Only now did he realize just how much he was letting his original personality show through and how much trouble it could cause if he did not keep it in check.

Keitaro was a little torn at the moment. Should he revert back to his fake self, if only for a little bit? Or should he just bite the bullet and continue on with what he had decided? Glancing at Naru's annoyed face he chose the one that mattered the most to _him_. He chuckled softly. "No, I'm getting them just fine. Looks like things are finally starting to gel in this excuse for a brain I have. I only have you to thank, Naru." Keitaro smiled. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be struggling with basic trig. Thank you…so very much." A little lie occasionally didn't hurt, especially with the way Naru reacted to it.

Naru's face flushed ever so slightly, he natural defenses eliminating what could have been one of atomic proportions. Why did that idiot have to go and say such stupid things? If she wasn't such a sweet and passive girl, she would slug him one…or four. She folded her arms across her chest and lifted her nose up. "Well of course it's all thanks to me! I was the number one ranking student in Japan."

Keitaro neglected to mention "was" was the keyword. After all, he didn't feel like ruining the moment with his witty sense of foot-in-mouth humor. "Yeah, I know, Naru…" He smiled again before collecting his things, standing up, and brushing himself off. "I'm gonna get going now, 'k?" Internally he was regretting what he was about to do, but reasoned that if he was going to disappear from their lives forever he might as well show this tiny part of his affections. After all, if she did hate him for what he was about to do it would make it all the much easier for him to leave.

This was right, right? This was how he felt, right? So why did he feel a sense of foreboding? It was just a simple…Never mind, he was making a big deal out of it now. Just go ahead and do it!

He walked over to her side and bent over. "Oh, and Naru?" She looked up at, obviously confused as to what he was doing. "Thanks for everything else as well…" He swiftly moved over and planted a small peck on her cheek. "I won't ever forget it." With that, he quickly straightened himself back up, flicked his hand in a good-bye wave, and left the room through the door.

Naru sat there, frozen, not knowing how to react. He hand slowly moved up to the cheek Keitaro had kissed, feeling the slightest amount of moistness. Her defenses had been utterly shattered by his action, resulting in a complete blush from her head to her chest. Not a single inch of skin was immune from the simultaneous opening of her capillaries. It left her resembling a rose.

Naru's lips trembled. Her heart raced. Her mind tumbled in eternal chaos. Had he just…Did he just…Did Keitaro go and…

"Did he…kiss me?"

She stayed like that for a long time, not budging from the spot even when Shinobu called everyone down for dinner. It was all she could handle from not flying apart to pieces. Something had happened, and she had no inkling as to what she was going to do about it.

TSTSTSTSTS

Keitaro made his way down the hall to his room. He absently wondered why he didn't jump through the hole connecting their rooms but chose to not think on it too hard. After all, the extra time it would take him to return could be put to good thinking use. Especially on what he had just done. He had kissed Naru! He had finally kissed her! Sure, it was nothing more than chaste one on her cheek but it still meant the world to him. Too bad his action was more like the one a husband gave to his wife the day he went to war. It wouldn't be long before he had to leave.

He could feel Serakusa growing more and more inside of him, clambering at his being to escape. But he would not let him, would not Serakusa get out while he still resided in Hinata House. He would leave before Serakusa had even the remotest chance of escaping. But still…that feeling of heaviness on his heart was growing more and more unbearable as each second passed. He was able to ignore it before but now it was like some great clamp had been set around his heart and was tightened all the way, adding pressure beyond anything he had ever felt.

At times, it felt like he was slowly dying.

He slid open the door to his room, dropping his books in a neat pile by his bookshelf. He wiped his hands together before making his way over to where he kept his collection of tea leaves. Maybe a nice, hot cup of tea would calm down his nerves, both from what happened between him and Naru and what he was feeling inside of himself at the moment.

_Th-thump_.

Keitaro stumbled, grasping at his heart. It felt like something was trying to tear its way through it. But no! It couldn't be! He still had time, still had time before he had to fight that bastard. It was coming without any warning. _He_ was coming. He was coming to take them all!

_Th-thump_.

Keitaro fell to his knees, his breath catching, like someone had punched him in the gut. He heart was beating much too fast now, much too fast for comfort. With each thump, a piercing pain streaked through it, setting his body ablaze with fear. No! This couldn't be happening! Not here, not now! He wasn't ready! He couldn't protect the girls! He couldn't protect anyone! What was he supposed to…

It's time, Kei-kun.

He gasped, his throat ragged. "Damn it! You're not getting out! Not while I can still breathe!"

_It's not a matter of whether you allow me or not. It's a matter of when **I** want to leave_. The voice in Keitaro's head paused. _Besides, considering how tired you must be, it won't be too hard to overpower your will. _

Keitaro growled, knowing that it was true. Ever since his initial talk with Serakusa, he couldn't sleep. The dark bags under his eyes attested to that. And even if he did sleep, the dreams…or rather nightmares, always came back to haunt him. Those horrible images that Serakusa sent him of what he would do once he escaped. The acts he would perform on Keitaro's girls that even the most depraved mind couldn't think of. The destruction – fire all around, burning every piece of matter that it came in touch with. The mayhem – demons running loose around the streets of Hinata Hot Springs, slaughtering any persons they came in contact with. And the blood, oh god, the blood – running down the stairs like a waterfall, every drop from one of his precious ones, each from places normal and the result of impure acts.

Those were the images that terrified Keitaro the most. The innocence that was broken, the purities that were tainted, the virginity…dragged through the mud and darkened to a pitch black. They were the ones that always woke him up, sweating from every pore in his body and streams flowing from his eyes. They were the ones that most strengthened his resolve to not let Serakusa have his way. They were the ones that drove Keitaro to the limits he now tried to keep up with.

However, it seemed like he was quickly losing the spirit to continue his protection.

_Th-thump_.

Keitaro cried out softly, his heart now being ripped to pieces. The darkness was forcing its way out, crawling out like some horrific parody of birth. He could feel it ensnaring his mind, pushing him into the cage that was originally meant for his capturer. He could feel his last clutches on his sanity begin to weaken, unable to deal with the strain that had been put on them for so long.

"Damn it…Damn it! Damn it, Serakusa! You're not getting out! You're not hurting my girls! I won't let you!"

_Whoever said **I** was hurting your girls? Keitaro faltered for a second. After all… Serakusa's voice chuckled maliciously. It's **your** body that will be hurting them, it's **you** that will be doing the things I plan on doing to them. And it's **you** they will hate in the very end. Right before I end their lives, of course._

"No…" Keitaro closed his eyes, the threat of tears forming in the corners. "You can't…" This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be! He promised himself he wouldn't let Serakusa hurt them. He promised!

_Yes…And now it's time for you to leave again, Kei-kun. It's time for me to have my fun, and for you to go in your little corner and watch while I do. And there's nothing you can do, Kei-kun…_

_Nothing. _

_Th-thump_.

The hole ripped open, forming a void that sucked everything within it. Keitaro tried to shout out a warning, alerting the girls to what was about to happen. But his lungs imploded, letting no air out and not a note of his voice out either. The darkness was overwhelming him, covering his eyes with a pitch blackness. He could feel himself slowly slipping away, losing all control over his body.

He was coming out. He was finally breaking the bonds that held him. Serakusa was escaping the prison that was Keitaro's soul and then making it his very own castle. And there was nothing he could do. There was nothing Keitaro could do against the dreaded force that was infecting his body. It crawled along his veins, shot down his nerves, coiled in his stomach. He could feel it, could feel the evil that was shoving him down into the pits of his being.

Serakusa had awakened.

Just before his surroundings went completely blank, Keitaro's eye squeezed out a single tear. It dropped to the ground, splashing on the cold wooden, the only part of Keitaro that was now left. And even it was quickly disappearing, evaporating from the heat inside the room.

_Th-thump_.

Two eyes opened. They were dark and sinister, so unlike the warm chocolate that inhabited them before. A mouth spread out into a smirk, the corners curling ever so little. Two tiny fangs protruded it, gleaming in the light. A hand clenched and unclenched, its nails longer and much sharper than before. It then moved to remove the glasses on its owner's face, idly tossing them off to the side. Its owner wouldn't need them anymore.

Serakusa rose from his kneeling position on the floor, rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks that had formed in them. The soreness was something he relished, though. It had been so long since he had been in a physical form. So long since he had practiced with these claws of his. So long…since he had had any type of fun.

He had to make up for the loss of time.

He looked out the window, noticing how the sun was setting. It was almost as if it was greeting his arrival, making way for the darkness of night that he enjoyed so much. His body began to shake, his mirth at it all finally getting to him. Serakusa lifted up his head and laughed.

He laughed like he would never again. He laughed for what he was about to do. He laughed for what he was going to make his host witness. He laughed for all the pain and suffering he was going to inflict. But most importantly…he laughed because he was released.

It was time to get to work.

Oh, bitter vengeance; let your cruel, sweet cry ring free!

A/N: Err…yeah. You can probably tell that things are really gonna go down the crapper in the next chapter. We've got a sadistic demon ready to have some "fun" with the Hina girls and Keitaro is unfortunately locked inside his own mind. Things are not going to turn out well. In fact, I'll give you a little view into what they're going to be – rape, limbs getting hacked off, and random violence (not the comedic sort.) If that isn't enough, well…some people might not like it but this is going to be a very dark fanfic. I did come up with a somewhat-clichéd storyline but it's still pretty good (or at least to me.) I really do hope that you enjoy all of it, though! Really…In any case, please review and remember, no flames!

Next Chapter: _Spilt Down the Middle_


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